Activepieces vs Langflow
Short answer
Activepieces: Open-source Zapier alternative with AI agents, MCP and human-in-the-loop steps. Langflow: Visual builder for AI agents and RAG flows that you can deploy as APIs or MCP servers. They sit in different categories (Workflow automation with AI and AI app & agent builders) but overlap: All of them let you build multi-step workflows or agents that call LLMs and expose or connect to other systems.
Choose Langflow if you want: fewer license conditions (Permissive vs Open core) and larger community (156k vs 25.2k GitHub stars).
Activepieces publishes no official RAM figure, so we cannot compare hosting cost directly.
Last updated · computed from each project's official docs and live GitHub data · sources
Activepieces vs Langflow side by side
| Activepieces | Langflow | |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Workflow automation with AI | AI app & agent builders |
| What it is | Open-source Zapier alternative with AI agents, MCP and human-in-the-loop steps. | Visual builder for AI agents and RAG flows that you can deploy as APIs or MCP servers. |
| License | MIT (core) + Activepieces Enterprise License (ee directories) | MIT |
| License type | Open core | Permissive |
| License conditions | Everything outside packages/ee and packages/server/api/src/app/ee is MIT. Code in those directories needs a commercial license. | Permissive. Internal and commercial use allowed; keep the copyright notice. |
| Status | Active | Active |
| GitHub stars | 25.2k | 156k |
| Last commit | Oct 22, 2026 | Oct 21, 2026 |
| Latest release | 0.92.3 | v1.12.7 |
| Minimum hardware | Not published | 1 vCPU · 1.5 GB RAM |
| Recommended hardware | Not published | 2 vCPU · 4 GB RAM |
| RAM measured by us | 1.3 GiB idle, 2.4 GiB working (our test, v0.92.3, Oct 22, 2026) | 1.2 GiB idle, 1.3 GiB working (our test, v1.12.7, Oct 22, 2026) |
| GPU | Not required / not stated | Not required / not stated |
| Est. server cost | from €35.99/mo (based on our test, not official) | from €11.99/mo (recommended spec: €19.99/mo) |
| Deploy method | Docker (single container, embedded DB) | Docker |
| Known gotchas | 3 listed | 2 listed |
| Telemetry | On by default | On by default |
| Calls home by default | Not documented | Not documented |
| SSO (OIDC / SAML / LDAP) | Paid / enterprise only (SAML paid) | Free (OIDC free) |
| Audit log | Paid / enterprise only | Yes, free |
| RBAC | Paid / enterprise only | No |
| Details | Full Activepieces guide → | Full Langflow guide → |
Key differences
- Category: Activepieces: Workflow automation with AI. Langflow: AI app & agent builders.
- License: Activepieces: MIT (core) + Activepieces Enterprise License (ee directories) (Open core). Langflow: MIT (Permissive).
- Official hardware: Activepieces: not published. Langflow: minimum 1 vCPU · 1.5 GB RAM (recommended 2 vCPU · 4 GB RAM).
- Est. server cost: Activepieces: not estimated (no official RAM figure). Langflow: from €11.99/mo.
- Deploy: Activepieces: Docker (single container, embedded DB) · single container. Langflow: Docker · single container.
- GitHub stars: Activepieces: 25.2k. Langflow: 156k.
- Last commit: Activepieces: Oct 22, 2026. Langflow: Oct 21, 2026.
- Latest release: Activepieces: 0.92.3 (Oct 12, 2026). Langflow: v1.12.7 (Oct 21, 2026).
Same for both: GPU: not required or not stated; Status: Active.
Activepieces vs Langflow: FAQ
Activepieces or Langflow: which should a small business choose?
Choose Langflow if you want: fewer license conditions (Permissive vs Open core) and larger community (156k vs 25.2k GitHub stars). Activepieces publishes no official RAM figure, so we cannot compare hosting cost directly.
Which is cheaper to self-host, Activepieces or Langflow?
Activepieces: not estimated (no official RAM figure). Langflow: from €11.99/mo. Our estimate is the cheapest Hetzner Cloud plan that meets each project's official RAM and vCPU figure; it covers the server only.
How much hardware do Activepieces and Langflow need?
Activepieces: not published. Langflow: minimum 1 vCPU · 1.5 GB RAM (recommended 2 vCPU · 4 GB RAM).
What is the license difference between Activepieces and Langflow?
Activepieces: MIT (core) + Activepieces Enterprise License (ee directories) (Open core). Everything outside packages/ee and packages/server/api/src/app/ee is MIT. Code in those directories needs a commercial license. Langflow: MIT (Permissive). Permissive. Internal and commercial use allowed; keep the copyright notice. This is a summary, not legal advice.
Is Activepieces or Langflow more actively maintained?
Activepieces: Active, last commit Oct 22, 2026. Langflow: Active, last commit Oct 21, 2026. GitHub data refreshed Oct 22, 2026.
Which is easier to deploy, Activepieces or Langflow?
Activepieces installs via Docker (single container, embedded DB) (single container); Langflow via Docker (single container). Activepieces lists 3 known gotchas and Langflow lists 2; see each app page.
Related
- Activepieces self-hosting guide · Langflow self-hosting guide
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- Add a third app in the interactive comparison
Sources
- Activepieces GitHub repository: github.com/activepieces/activepieces
- Activepieces documentation, Activepieces hardware requirements, Activepieces deploy instructions: www.activepieces.com/docs/install/options/docker
- Activepieces license: github.com/activepieces/activepieces/blob/main/LICENSE
- Langflow GitHub repository: github.com/langflow-ai/langflow
- Langflow documentation, Langflow deploy instructions: docs.langflow.org/deployment-docker
- Langflow license: github.com/langflow-ai/langflow/blob/main/LICENSE
- Langflow hardware requirements: docs.langflow.org/deployment-prod-best-practices
- Hetzner Cloud pricing used for cost estimates (read 2026-10-22): www.hetzner.com/cloud/regular-performance
- GitHub REST API (stars, commits, releases): docs.github.com/en/rest
Every value is generated from the same verified data as the app pages. Spotted something wrong? Tell us.